The ultimate Range Rover
You could call it the road-going version of the Range Rover. The Sport is shorter, lower and sleeker and is as much a luxury car as an off-roader. It is out to swat the likes of the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne.
They had certainly better look out for the one with the little black badge and bigger wheels. These denote the awesome flagship with its supercharged 4.2-litre V8 petrol engine that can propel all two and a half tons of machinery up to 60mph in 7.2 seconds - and on to a potential 140mph.
This is the ultimate driving Range Rover. With a clever electronic roll bar at the rear and racing Brembo brakes, it is also the best handling on the road. It has a deep purr when pushed but remains surprisingly civilised.
This one is so good that the 'standard' 4.4-litre V8 version seems almost tame - it's not! By way of a reality check, a V6 turbo diesel is to follow, using a 190bhp version of the 2.7-litre twin turbo engine that has won praise in the Jaguar S-type and is claimed to average 27mpg. (Don't ask what the V8s return!)
But the Range Rover Sport is not about such mundane matters. It is about providing a high-performance and pampering car at the top end of the market, something to tempt the wealthy back from their German steeds. Desirability is the name of the game, and they have certainly achieved it.
Inside, you find drawing room delight with beautifully finished wood and leather and all the executive touches to ease your passage. Music comes in concert hall quality, almost everything is power assisted. My only gripe was a tacky liquid display panel before the elegant instruments that was hard to read in bright sunlight.
On the motorway or on twisting side roads, the air suspension provides a sublime ride. For the first hour or so I was in awe of the size and force of the car. Then it began to dawn on me the Sport was surprisingly biddable for its bulk, especially in supercharged form. You could drive for hundreds of miles without feeling stressed, such is the effortlessness of its performance.
There is one of those very clever six-speed automatic gear boxes that makes seamless changes and adjusts its responses to your driving style. You can also change gear 'manually' but it worked so well in auto that I rarely bothered except when off-road.
While my emphasis has been on the road ability of the car, the Sport still has formidable ability off road. We tackled sand dunes, rock waddles and rough mountain lanes with ease. Okay, it may not have the ultimate capability of some of its siblings, but it is still a Land Rover.
There are all the latest electronic aids as found on the Discovery 3. You just dial in the surface you are driving on - from sand to snow - and the microchips adjust everything to give you the best traction. Hill Descent Control keeps the car under control as you plunge down rough hills.
The Range Rover Sport is certain to attract a lot of attention from the lucky few when order books open in June. The 300bhp V8 costs from £44,995 in SE trim whilst the supercharged version weighs in at £57,495. But it is expected that more than half of buyers will wait for the 2.7 V6 turbo diesel priced from £34,995.
Source: Belfast Telegraph